Volunteer and Internship Opportunities
Join Our Team of History Enthusiasts
Do you enjoy connecting with people, sharing stories, and bringing the past to life? Are you passionate about history and excited to help others discover it? If so, you could be a great fit for the Gunston Hall team.
At Gunston Hall, volunteers, interns, and staff collaborate to create engaging, educational, and memorable experiences for every guest. Each role plays an important part in making this site a vibrant and welcoming place to explore history together.
Volunteer at Gunston Hall
Become part of a passionate community dedicated to preserving history and inspiring the future.
Since Gunston Hall opened as a museum in the 1950s, volunteers have played an important role in bringing the site to life. Currently, volunteers at Gunston Hall help both behind-the-scenes, with the public, and at the archaeological dig site.
Young Historical Interpreters must be between 8 and 16 years old. All other volunteers must be at least 16 years old.
To begin the process to join the Gunston Hall team, prospective volunteers fill out a volunteer application. Next, someone from the staff will contact you to schedule an interview.
Why Volunteer?
- Support historical preservation and education
- Learn new skills and expand your knowledge
- Meet like-minded individuals
- Receive training and ongoing support
- Enjoy invitations to volunteer-only events and recognition opportunities
Garden Volunteer Opportunities
Garden Tending
Indulge your love of the outdoors by helping in the Gunston Hall riverside garden. Garden volunteers support the riverside garden project year round. During the spring, summer, and fall, you might take part in planting, harvesting, weeding, deadheading, and more. During the winter, contribute to preparations for the upcoming cultivation year. Shifts are available Monday through Saturday.
Food Donation
Support Gunston Hall’s food donation program by delivering food harvested from the riverside garden to the food bank at the Lorton Community Action Center. Each week, you will pick up produce at Gunston Hall and drop it off at LCAC’s food bank. This activity happens on Tuesdays throughout the growing season.
Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer Opportunities
Education
Help create meaningful visitor experiences as an education volunteer. You may assist with events, develop family activities, support social media and teacher resources, or help with program logistics. Opportunities are available on weekdays and Saturdays, with training provided individually.
Exhibits
Support exhibitions at Gunston Hall by helping with research, label writing, fabrication, and installation. Volunteers with carpentry or painting skills are especially valuable. Weekday opportunities available with individualized training provided.
Garden
Help bring the newly restored Riverside Garden to life by planting, weeding, and caring for flowers, vegetables, shrubs, and trees inspired by 18th-century Virginia. Weekday opportunities available with one-on-one training provided.
Library and Archives
Support historical research by assisting with inquiries, processing materials, reading documents, and working in the collections database. Weekday opportunities available with personalized training provided.
Education Volunteers
- Help lead school tours, field trips, and family programs
- Assist with hands-on learning experiences and seasonal events
Gardening Volunteers
- Work in our historic and modern gardens
- Assist with planting, weeding, seasonal care, and landscape projects
Visitor Engagement Volunteers
- Greet and assist guests at the Visitor Center
- Provide information, maps, and support for public programs
Behind-the-Scenes Support
- Help with office tasks, prep for events, and collection organization
- Opportunities for research, archiving, and more
Volunteer Opportunities to Work with the Public
Docents
Bring history to life for students as a volunteer docent by leading interactive tours of the mansion, kitchen yard, and schoolhouse. Options include hearth cooking, storytelling, and costumed interpretation. Tours typically take place on weekday mornings. Docents receive formal training every 12–18 months and join the Gunston Hall Docents’ Association, which offers monthly enrichment programs.
Living Historians
Step into the past as a living history volunteer by portraying real or fictional 18th-century characters connected to Gunston Hall and George Mason. In period clothing, you’ll engage visitors with stories of life and politics during the Revolutionary era. Opportunities are available year-round on weekdays and weekends, with one-on-one training provided.
Young Historic Interpreters
Youth volunteers ages 8–18 help bring history to life by learning about 18th-century life and sharing it with visitors. In period costume, they demonstrate daily activities from the Revolutionary era. Opportunities are available on summer weekdays and weekends year-round, with training and enrichment workshops provided.
Archaeology Volunteer Opportunities
Archaeologist
Volunteers help in the field, uncovering history by methodically searching for historical objects buried on the Gunston Hall property. Volunteers also help process items discovered at the dig site. Archaeology volunteers work under the supervision of the staff archaeologist.
This activity is available Tuesday through Saturday, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Volunteers choose their own hours and may help for a partial day, full day, or more than one day a week. The field season runs from the first part of April until mid December. The remainder of the year is spent processing artifacts in the archaeology lab. Training is on-the-job, and all equipment is provided.
For more information about volunteer opportunities, please email or call.
Internship Opportunities
Gunston Hall is currently not offering internship opportunities. Please check back on a regular basis for any updates. For any additional questions
